Firefly
by StZen
Summary: Day by day the war goes on. Soon it will be forgotten that the bond between human and sacred spirit, or bitbeast, as they once called them, ever existed. As science breaks through and his son rebels, Kai finds himself torn without solution. Twoshot
1. Chapter 1

(A/N): This is a two-shot, consisting of parts of a story I have in my head right now. I so badly want to write a full story of it, but there's many reasons why I won't be. For starters, I have no time. I shouldn't even be writing this, but I've done lots of work today and I deserve a little break. But the main reason I can't form a full-length story out of this is because I don't have any other parts planned. If it were a story, I'd want it to be really spectacular, and this wouldn't even be the climax, just a part somewhere in the middle. Plus, I lack the skill I would want, so yeah, a two-shot it shall remain.

**Summary: **Day by day the war goes on. Soon it will be forgotten that the bond between human and sacred spirit (or bitbeast, as they once called them) ever existed. As science breaks through and his son rebels, Kai finds himself torn without solution. Twoshot

**Background:** The story is set in a dystopic future (much like my story 'Your World' but not nearly as depressing and completely different :)) which has been torn apart by modern society. For years now the bond between human and bitbeast has been broken, and the two species are at war. Kai Hiwatari is now forty five years old, president of a business company which teamed up with scientists to try and create human armies using replicated DNA which the scientists have tampered with to ensure there's no rebellion. Gou Hiwatari is Kai's eighteen year-old son.

Oh, another thing. The story features Tyson and his son Makoto aswell, who is the same age as Gou. Gou and Makoto are the names given by the manga, and if you see it you get an idea that they look almost identical to their father's. In this story, Gou looks exactly like Kai but with the different face markings (as you'll see in the manga), and Makoto looks like Tyson but a lot taller and more muscular than Tyson was at his age (sort of like Tyson's dad, so I guess it skips generations). However, though he looks like his father, Gou and Kai have completely contrasting personalities, yet strange similarities aswell.

Just thought I'd clear that up :)

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade or any of it's characters, including Gou and Makoto. I only own the story-line and original idea :D

* * *

Kai Hiwatari, president of one of the largest companies in the entire world, downed his sixth mug of black coffee in one breath, refraining from using it to bash in the heads of the three scientists with whom he seemed to be in a heated debate. Trying to keep his temper, he massaged his temples and stood to give him height advantage; any kind of advantage was welcome at that point.

'Mister Hiwatari,' one of the scientists slammed his fist on Kai's desk in frustration. 'I cannot delay this process any further! The world is on it's toes waiting for us; waiting for _you_!'

'Acworth,' Kai snapped. 'I am well aware of the successes you've had with the HA (1).' He turned slightly and spoke lower, as though to himself. 'I'm just wondering if perhaps we're going about this the wrong way…'

'But sir, it was-'

'I _know_ it was all my idea!' Kai cried out in exasperation. The constant battle with his conscience had been troubling him a lot lately. He didn't know what to do any more.

'Mr Hiwatari, sir, there's somebody here to see you-' A fourth figure had briskly entered the room.

'I don't have time for this!' Kai exclaimed, barely managing to contain himself from throwing his papers to the opposite corner of the room. 'I'll see nobody. Tell them I'm too busy trying to save the planet.' The sarcasm left a bitter taste in his mouth as he spat venom at the man at the door, who hadn't become any less forthright with his boss' impatient manner.

'Sir, the man outside already assumed you wouldn't see him, and asked me to only tell you of his name.'

'Oh, his name!' Kai cried out dramatically. 'A name, what's in a name! Well go on then, humour me, Morris. What is this man's name?'

'Kinomiya, sir.'

Kai almost _dropped_ his papers this time. His head shot up from the documents in his hand and he eyed his employee suspiciously, before sighing in exhaustion. 'Oh very well, send Kinomiya in.'

Morris nodded and swiftly made his exit, leaving president Kai Hiwatari to ignore his debate with the other employees in his office. Resting himself against the large, wooden desk, he sighed again and tried to remember a time where he hadn't been under so much pressure. The government, the army, the police force, they were all waiting with baited breath for the slightest advance in development. He had publicly given word that the humanoid armies were soon to be sent into combat, and now he had to ensure that he lived up to his word.

'Well, passive as usual? I see you haven't changed much'.

'Tyson…' Kai turned and found himself more relieved than he'd expected to see such an old friend. Over the years they'd rarely spoken and quite a long time ago had broken all contact. Their past seemed like a distant dream, but feeling that close bond of friendship once again, Kai felt it more real now than ever before. There in the doorway, was former world champion of a long-forgotten sport, Tyson Kinomiya.

He grinned at Kai's unreadable expression and invited himself further into the room. 'Not bad,' he smirked, inspecting the large office filled with the Einstein's of tomorrow's world. Kai noted how much taller he'd become, but other than that he looked exactly the same as he always had. While the company president's face was becoming lined to show his stress, Tyson seemed to have effortlessly kept his youth. But given the family genes it wasn't surprising, and Kai suspected that even Tyson's old grandfather was probably still around.

'How are you?' was the only thing Kai could think of saying, out of the many thoughts flying through his brain.

Tyson shrugged and leant against the window pane. 'I'll be better when Makoto returns.'

'Oh,' Kai started in surprise, though he wasn't sure why he was surprised. 'Makoto's in the armed forces?'

Tyson nodded and smiled. 'Not for much longer though, thankfully. I hear the troops will be shipped home soon?'

Seeing the hope in Tyson's eyes, Kai nodded and said quietly 'Not long now'.

There was a comfortable silence for a few moments while Tyson gazed from the window at the dreary streets of the commercial city. Below him the people marching through the busy streets looked like helpless ants. Somewhere in a country not so far away, another battle was being fought against the sacred spirits and the elements of the earth. Not a single human could match the power in a million years and Tyson feared that in the next few weeks his only son could be brutally annihilated by the spirits he once conspired with.

The scientist Acworth was still talking to Kai as their guest contemplated the distant past. 'I'd say it should be about three weeks before we can send them out, if not sooner.'

Kai jerked his head in a robotic nod, abandoning his previous debate. 'Good. We are losing too many men. Your son will return in three weeks, Tyson.' He looked towards the window to find Tyson smiling back at him.

'Isn't it strange,' he mused 'that we're now at war with our most faithful allies.'

A sudden wave of sadness washed over Kai, and he found himself unable to respond. Tyson ignored the looks he was getting from the scientists in Kai's office and continued. 'There was a time where we would have trusted our sacred spirits with our lives. And now they're…' he trailed off, not wanted to classify the spirits as the enemy, even though that's what they were. Long ago the unbreakable bond had been broken and even the blue dragon spirit of the wind, his Dragoon, had joined the revolt against humanity.

Kai slowly nodded, fixating intently at a spot on the floor. He wished everybody else would leave the room so that he could talk to Tyson properly, but with the suspicion everybody had these days, it would be unlikely to have a moment's peace.

Acworth seemed to be ignoring Tyson completely and continued talking to Kai, raising his eyebrows slightly in suspicion. 'Your son, Hiwatari, seems to have taken much fascination in the humanoid beings.'

Kai sighed and shook his head, but Tyson looked interested so Acworth continued. 'One in particular, actually. I'm not sure why, but he spends much of his time sneaking into the research labs to speak with it, thinking he isn't being watched.'

Kai's instinct told him to punch the man in the side of the head, scold him for watching his son so intently and demand the boy be left alone. But Tyson's voice cut through his sudden burst of anger. 'Gou? I haven't seen him in years! Where is he?'

Kai opened his mouth to respond but the scientist beside Acworth spoke first. 'I suspect he's in one of the combat training facilities. He likes to participate in the drills-'

'You will see him later,' Kai cut the man off sharply. He didn't appreciate them talking about his son, nor did he appreciate his son rebelling against him and sneaking into the research labs behind his back. He waited with baited breath for the day the humanoids would be sent into battle, and Gou would probably never speak to him again. He also didn't appreciate being reminded of the past, though he still kept the plastic beyblade in the locked drawer of his desk, gathering dust and looking increasingly smaller each time he took it out. Without the red phoenix Dranzer, it was almost valueless and served only to provide him with the knowledge that his exceptional past really did happen.

He bet Tyson had kept his beyblade too, cold and empty without it's guardian. It was only a game, or perhaps it wasn't in the end. But now there was no time to play. Now there was a war which it was impossible for them to win. Their opponents were their allies and their allies were their opponents. Everything was different now; everything had changed.

* * *

'Like them, I was made to bring victory to the humans against the sacred spirits. And like them, I must be eager to defend those I depend on the most.' The favoured humanoid explained, peering kindly into the deep red eyes before him.

Gou knelt on the tiled floor of white porcelain in a large room filled with identical beings. It was dark except for the few lighting fixtures on the tiled walls which seemed to give off a glow of deep blue. Before him on the tiled bench, sat the humanoid he'd begun to spend most of his time visiting, who he'd decided to bless with the name Hotaru. Sometimes the two would speak for hours, or just sit in painful silence knowing full-well what would soon tear them apart.

He shook his head with a faint smile 'You're not like them. You're Hotaru, and you're completely different.'

But Hotaru steadily shook it's head. 'If I am Hotaru, they are Hotaru. We were created the same way and we are all the same.'

And to the human eye, they were the same. Rows of identical humanoids sat side-by-side, surrounding the two of them, fixating straight ahead as though they lacked the ability to look elsewhere. Some of them faced eachother, a few had a clear view of Gou in their vision, but either chose to ignore it or they couldn't really see it at all. It were as though they had been shut down, sent back to their stations to recharge. Gou knew that every single one of them could speak to him the way Hotaru could, but there was something the curious teenager saw in this humanoid which was different to the rest. He was almost…

Gou smiled and retrieved something from his pocket. After unscrewing the lid, he dipped his fingers in the paint and delicately ran them over the replicated skin of the humanoid's cheek.

Hotaru flinched at the contact and it's eyes widened slightly. 'M-master Hiwatari…' it whispered in fright, terrified of the new sensation. It was unaware of what to do but stayed still as the young man kneeled before him and delicately smeared the cold substance over it's face.

'You don't need to call me that,' Gou whispered sternly, drawing back from his concentration. Hotaru sat oddly stiff but Gou smiled at him. 'Now you don't look like them. You look like me.'

Hotaru reached a shaky hand to touch it's cheek, but Gou averted it quickly, gently placing his hand over the humanoid's. Hotaru looked at him anxiously again at the contact, but Gou gently lowered Hotaru's hand and smiled softly. 'You'll smudge the paint.'

'I wish I really could be you,' Hotaru shook his head. 'There's such a difference between you and us.'

Gou tilted his head to the right, shrugging his shoulders and smiling again. 'Them, maybe. But you? I see no difference between me and you.'

Hotaru shook his head rapidly this time, and wiped frantically at the face paint before Gou could gently stop him. 'No, we are different. You have…something we don't.'

Hotaru couldn't put its finger on what the humanoids were missing. And that in itself was imminent doom. If it didn't know, it would never know, never could figure it out and so on. The replicated DNA had been from a mixture of actual human beings once. President Hiwatari, sovereign Acworth and his team of scientists had created technological advancements and taken away every aspect of independence and free will. These humanoids were to be used for combat, and were designed to never rebel against it. That implanted loyalty is what would never allow Hotaru to completely believe what Gou Hiwatari told it, whether or not it was the truth. Hotaru didn't know the meaning of truth. All it knew was what had been implanted in it's brain at creation, and everything else was different. Not wrong, just different. But Hotaru didn't trust them nonetheless, and was reluctant to let Gou make it different because then it'd be like no other, and that concept brought on a strange emotion Hotaru couldn't identify: fear.

Gou returned the pot of face paint to his pocket, and lifted his hands in defeat. 'We do, Hotaru. But that doesn't mean you're all the same. How do you think I know you from the others? You all appear identical, but I can tell you apart from them instantly.'

Hotaru couldn't answer and only looked straight ahead. For a moment Gou was worried it had fallen into the eerie state of immobility as the rest of them. 'Hotaru…?' he whispered softly.

'We are going to war soon.' Hotaru impassively responded. 'They've been training us to fight as long as I remember, for the day we march into battle.' It's eyes seemed to focus again as it looked into Gou's. 'Our finest hour is approaching.'

Gou couldn't tell whether Hotaru was happy with this or not, but it made him sick to his stomach to know that their finest hour would be marching out to be annihilated. Never shifting his fixed gaze, he gently reached his hand to touch Hotaru's once again. The rough skin flinched beneath his palm as though it burned. But the humanoid looked apologetic and allowed Gou to hold his hand. It seemed the Hiwatari boy gained a strange sense of comfort from the contact. This was something else that Hotaru would never understand, but to be so vulnerable must surely be a weakness.

'You shouldn't have to do this,' Gou murmured.

'It's what we're here for.' The softness left the humanoid's voice for a moment, replacing it with a blunt military tone that Gou didn't like. 'Your father's ensuring the safety of humans all over the globe by having us created for combat.'

'I have no father,' Gou automatically stated. He knew he was being childish but in his mind he was justified. President Hiwatari was the man who bought the technological advancements, creating people to do exactly what he wanted. What childhood trauma's his father had gone through to mess with his emotions, Gou was unaware of. All he knew was that he was completely unwilling to claim a relation to a man he only knew as being compassionless.

To Gou's slight surprise, Hotaru lifted his other hand to place on top of Gou's. 'A father is a privilege' it reminded him. 'Abiding by his rules wouldn't hurt you.'

'But it would hurt _you_,' the confused boy pleaded. He knew, or so he thought, that Hotaru didn't want to fight. They may have created him but it was cruel to take his individuality, his ability to rebel, and brand him as some sort of machine.

Hotaru swiftly dropped the subject. 'Master Gou, it is late. Soon the electricity will be shut off and we will fall into submissive state.' Submissive state was when the brain censors of the humanoids would be switched off, leaving them uninteractive. This was controlled by the scientists who shut off all electricity in the city for several hours during the night. It was their way of storing power and keeping people from staying awake. The humanoids never slept; they were designed to enter their combat state should an outsider intrude. Those surrounding Gou and Hotaru were preparing themselves to go into the submissive state by blocking out their human senses. Gou knew that if he stayed down there much longer, the lights would go out and the door would lock, leaving him to sleep on the porcelain floor and pray he didn't roll over and trigger an alarm. He certainly didn't want that to happen, again, but wished he could stay with Hotaru.

'You still have blue on your face,' Gou smiled weakly and gently rubbed the remains of the face paint off with his thumb. There was no flinch this time and he assumed Hotaru had eased slightly. Either that, or he too was preparing for submissive state.

Not wanting to let go, Gou drew himself up and left before the black hours approached. Before leaving he spoke solemnly so no other humanoid within range would hear. 'If you truly can't feel, I'll feel for you, until you learn to be the way I know you should.' Unsure whether Hotaru really knew what he meant, Gou murmured a prayer to nobody in particular, and began the tiresome journey home.

* * *

(A/N): (1)- HA stands for 'Humanoid Army'.

I've been waiting for absolutely ages to get this finished and uploaded. I hope that nobody found it somewhat political and boring.

Also, I hope it didn't confuse anyone that I referred to Hotaru as 'it' instead of 'he'. This is, of course, intentional as the humanoids are not truly people.

If you read it, I'd really like it if you'd review. I always try to review the fics I've read, whether or not they're my favourites, and return favours to those who review mine :).

Part two of this two-shot should be up soon, though I'm not sure when exactly. I have exams in the next two weeks, but I'll try my best.

Thanks everyone!


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N): Ah, finally I have this two-shot finished :D. I've been trying to write this chapter for days now but just haven't been in the mood to write lately. I suppose I kind of forced myself to in the end, so I'll apologise ahead of time if it isn't any good.

Thankyou to my reviewers; Angel Sakura x, Naenna and Fairly-OddGirl – your reviews are much appreciated :D

**Summary: **Day by day the war goes on. Soon it will be forgotten that the bond between human and sacred spirit (or bitbeast, as they once called them) ever existed. As science breaks through and his son rebels, Kai finds himself torn without solution. Twoshot

**Background:** The story is set in a dystopic future (much like my story 'Your World' but not nearly as depressing and completely different :)) which has been torn apart by modern society. For years now the bond between human and bitbeast has been broken, and the two species are at war. Kai Hiwatari is now forty five years old, president of a business company which teamed up with scientists to try and create human armies using replicated DNA which the scientists have tampered with to ensure there's no rebellion. Gou Hiwatari is Kai's eighteen year-old son.

Tyson appears again in this chapter, and Makoto makes his first appearance in the story (yes, Angel Sakura x, he returned to Tyson safely, no worries :)), or as Tyson calls him 'Ko (:P I think it's a sweet nickname…it's sure better than Ma' or 'To anyway). I think this part of the two-shot is more interesting than the last and well, it's the tragic part isn't it.

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblade or any of it's characters, including Gou and Makoto. I only own the story-line and original idea :D

* * *

Outside the rain beat hard on the windows and the wind howled like a wolf to the moon, but the greater storm was between the walls. Over the streets hung an endless mass of grey, the dark skies able to fool anybody into believing it was nightfall rather than mid-afternoon. The water hammered on the glass as buckets of torrential rain was poured from the grey clouds, but beyond the window pane a typhoon was in progress.

Much of the furniture was already overturned as the infuriated child in the body of an eighteen year-old unleashed his rage. The bystander of this episode, the man who this boy had a striking resemblance to on the outside, simply said nothing. All he did was glare as he watched his son cause destruction and smash some of his most valuable possessions, and wonder why Tyson had been blessed with a hero for a son and he with this monster.

Meanwhile, said monster had finally decided to just let go and unveil every hidden feeling towards his composed father. 'Heartless, inconsiderate, condescending…' he seized a large book from the shelf and began to rip the pages from it.

'You knew this had to happen, and you knew it wouldn't be long' Kai calmly stated, a hint of irritation in his voice. 'This humanoid you've somehow grown attached to will be sent away tomorrow with the others'.

Kai's patience was not kept though, as Gou saw the opportunity to fling the hardback in the direction of his face. It collided with his shoulder, but Kai didn't even flinch. Even at his age he had a great deal of physical strength.

'I hear you've been conversing with it, calling it by a name, escorting it from the premises though you know it's out of bounds for them!' Kai roared as his son paced the room with clenched fists and gritted teeth. 'A camera spotted you leading it from the building when it was supposed to be training!'

'To show him the outside, to let him see what's beyond the facility!' Gou wailed in desperation. 'I told him I could show him the world, the _real_ world! Far from the world of grey that they're used to, I wanted to show him how it could be!' All the while, Kai simply shook his head and sighed in exasperation. 'He's never been outside before, he didn't even know what a flower looked like! Hotaru-'

'Yes, this is exactly what I'm talking about!' Kai cut across him, resulting in an old book being thrown at the closed window. It didn't smash but Gou had taken hold of another. 'You don't make this any easier on yourself by staying with them for so long. You cling on to one of them, even give it a _name_! They can't have names, Gou, they're not human!'

'Well they should be!' Gou was becoming so frustrated now he could feel his throat beginning to close up. No matter what happened, he was damn-well determined he wouldn't let his father get the better of him. He would not let the cruel man see him cry. 'They have their own lives the same way we do. They walk, talk and think. It may not be the same way we think but they're still-'

'They're not, Gou. We have created them to fight for us, to save the lives of deserving men'.

'I know why they're here!' Another book was aimed at the window with greater force, but missed by inches and dented the wall. 'I know!' and it sounded as though he not only knew, but wanted to understand. Releasing a growl of anger, Gou's fist met with the window pane, finally succeeding in smashing the glass. The blood on his hand was almost immediately washed away by the pouring rain, and he easily ignored the painful sting. Blinking furiously, Gou continued with his long list of insults 'Evil, heartless, conceited-'

'Acting less than half your age isn't going to make a difference' snapped the adolescent's father, feeling his temple pulsate as he quickly lost control. 'One day, Gou, you will need to pull your head out from the clouds and start to lead your life with it'.

'And one day you're going to find yourself completely alone as you've always wanted to be' Gou spat back, aggressively kicking out at one of the large paintings on the wall. The glass in the frame shattered, littering the carpet with tiny, deadly crystals as the window pane had done moments ago.

'You have absolutely no respect' Kai growled, having had just about enough of his son's behaviour, and half terrified that he had no idea how to control the situation which was fast getting out of hand.

'I have respect, father, just not for you' came Gou's strong reply. 'I respect your great power, and sometimes wish I could share your lack of compassion, god knows it would make living in this world a lot easier. But I'm also afraid of you, and prey that I don't wake up one day to find I've become just like you.'

After those words were spoken, there was nothing left to say. Kai narrowed his eyes and watched his son's departing figure pull open the large doors and storm from the room, leaving the damage he had caused behind. Everything was out in the open now. Kai had thought that when the day came for the HA march to instigate Gou would never again acknowledge his existence. From the display he'd witnessed so far, Kai saw he'd been quite wrong about his son's reaction. His son was certainly not prepared to suffer in silence, whether or not it meant screaming like a child and vandalising much of his home.

* * *

Gou stood like a statue that night, eyes locked with his own reflection in the bathroom mirror. His bare feet were cold on the marble floor, but it didn't bother him in the slightest. Reaching the razor to the top of his head, not a muscle moved in his face to deter the glare which was returned to him through the looking-glass. The glare he fixated on himself with a façade of hatred, though inside he couldn't be more self-satisfied.

This was the only option left for him, he felt. His callous father had ignored his protests and now he had no choice but to defy him. It should have been clear a long time ago that the man would never listen; he should have thought of this before.

But he knew that he was doing the right thing. He had finally realised that stamping his foot and raising his voice would get him nowhere. These people had no time for pathetic displays of dispute. Time was an issue that everybody lacked, it seemed. But Gou could no longer stay with humans so cruel as they were. There was only one thing left to do.

His hand moved almost effortlessly as the grey tresses fell before him. Not a second thought occurred to him once his mind had been made up. There was nothing difficult about losing his hair; especially as he was about to lose everything else. Though in his mind, he was gaining far more than he was losing. Open and limitless fields of genocide were all that awaited him; a one-sided massacre, and he knew it. They all knew it, but couldn't think for themselves. It wasn't their fault they wanted to fight; it's what they were built for, it's what they were programmed to think.

Still believing, perhaps foolishly, that his destiny was to act as their mind, the expression of determination never once left Gou's face as he watched his hair fall before his eyes. He wasn't skilled in the least with the blade in his hand, and winced several times as he sliced through the skin covering the back of his skull. Wiping the tears with the back of his hand, his father's voice appeared unintentionally in his mind telling him it was a weakness to let pain show through. Not even knowing if those words had ever been spoken to him, Gou only moved more swiftly with the razor blade in a blind attempt to rid himself of their striking similarity. The other, the orbs of blood-red which still stared back at him from the mirror's reflection, he would never be rid of. It was the only distinguishing feature, and he hoped against hope with some form of palpable absurdity, that he could still be overlooked as one of them.

Their eyes had no colour, which was the difficulty. Their irises were a dull grey like their uniforms. No colour, no black, no white. Nothing that could be distinguished from anything else; nothing that could be defined as something in particular. They were every nationality, they were every colour, they were every shade of grey. Fortunately for Gou, their skin was close enough to resemble his, and with the uniform and combat weaponry it was sure to go unnoticed. The only problem was his eyes, but he hoped they wouldn't be inspected too closely before the march began.

Coming out of his trance and focusing his eyes once again, an involuntary shudder left him as he saw the shallow cuts he could no longer feel. He blinked away the blood seeping from the spot where his eyebrow used to be, and felt a tickle on the back of his neck as the same red liquid travelled down from the back of his head. It wasn't painful anymore, but he didn't like to look at it. For those few seconds he had almost forgotten the impending horror he was soon to be striding out to face.

Too impatient to wait for it to heat, he cupped his hands below the faucet and brought the icy water to his face. When he turned the tap again the sink was stained with red and blue. Without even reaching for the towel, Gou looked back at the reflection which was now almost unrecognisable as his own.

'I don't look like you now, father,' he almost smiled at this bizarre achievement. 'I don't even look like me anymore. You wouldn't recognise me now; I can barely recognise myself.'

* * *

'HA, Sector 5!' came the booming roar of the human commander, addressing the many thousand rows before him. It was a cold morning and his breath could be seen against the crisp air. Where they were now, he could not tell. He had lost track. But from the deafening noise which began to flood his head, it was clear they'd ventured far from home in the short time they'd travelled.

'HA, Sector 5!' the man repeated, making himself heard with astonishing ease, given the powerful background noise and the vast mass his voice needed to fill. 'This age is ours! The epoch of conquest has begun! Advance!'

'This age is ours' Gou blindly repeated in a slight haze, before marching out silently with the rest of them. Somewhere, perhaps even everywhere, the television screens would be buzzing with the fantastic news: the men were returning, and the humanoids were unleashed to fight the forces of the sacred spirits. The war had taken a turning point that would forever be a renowned part of history. He was marching to the future.

The sky was painted orange and red, with a glow of striking yellow across the horizon. But never had there been a worse time to halt and admire the scene. With nothing to look at but the back of their heads as they rhythmically moved in sync, as though it were a strange dance, the beauty on the horizon had yet to be acknowledged. All of a sudden, by some miraculous coincidence, Gou realised who was marching alongside him.

'Hotaru,' he could only whisper softly. There was a great risk of being heard, besides there being the slight possibility that it wasn't Hotaru at all. Unable to turn his head for fear of suspicion, Gou cleared his throat and tried again. 'Hotaru…'

'Gou Hiwatari?' It didn't seem to believe the situation possible. But without looking round, he knew it to be true. It could easily sense the boy's presence, and without a doubt it was him. He spoke quietly over the noise of pounding boots. 'You are here? How?'

Gaining confidence in the fact that the humanoids seemed to be looking nowhere but straight ahead of them, Gou reached his hand out to the side and blindly sought Hotaru's, which jolted steadily back and fourth to the beat of the dance. 'I am here, Hotaru. I followed you here.'

The scuffle of Gou's soiled hand came to an abrupt end when it was met, almost forcefully, by another: Hotaru's. It seemed to cling to Gou as determinedly as Gou did to it for those moments. Those few precious moments where neither of them were alone, and they were joined as one as they marched out into the magnificent sunrise, veiled only by the disarrayed horror of war.

* * *

Exhaustion was an understatement. His eyelids drooped and below his eyes the bags only increased in size as each day passed. He hadn't been sleeping well lately; spending almost every waking moment when he wasn't working in front of the television screen in the hopes of catching a familiar name in the headlines. It was only during the hours of darkness where he'd finally fall asleep in his chair.

His gaze travelled to the window, where it was dusk and night was beginning to fall. A permanent blanket of dust encircled the distance and Kai wondered how long it had been. Several weeks, perhaps even a couple of months. Far too long in his opinion, and he was thinking of sending the armies back. The only reason he didn't was that it seemed an impossible thing to ask. Even he could see the absurdity of calling back several hundred thousand of the HA simply because his son had decided to run away from him.

A movement beside him let Kai know of a presence. He'd almost forgotten that Tyson was there with him, but for a change he was fine with not being completely alone. The only situation he could think of which ever came close to this was a time they'd almost both forgotten because it seemed so long ago, where one of them would lose at some sort of battle. It wasn't a real battle because there was no war, but it had always felt so important at the time. Whoever it was who lost, the team would be there for them, to give them their support and tell them they'd win next time. Now there was no team, and Kai didn't feel he'd win. He'd waited days for his son to come home, and then weeks to hear any news of him being found. As determined he was not to give up hope, he wished he could just sleep easy again. He'd forgotten what redemption felt like.

There was a knock at the door and Tyson made a move for it, saving Kai the trouble of getting to his feet. He heard his old friend move off and click open the door. When he spoke, surprise was evident in his voice. 'What are you doing here, 'Ko?'

Kai made an effort to rise from his position and brush away his futility. A taller and far broader version of an adolescent Tyson came into view and bowed his head respectfully. 'Good evening, sir.'

Tyson appeared seconds later with a teasing smile on his face, elbowing his son lightly in the ribs. 'He's not your _general_, Makoto, you don't need to call him 'sir''

'Good evening, Makoto' Kai greeted in return, feebly nodding his head the way he'd been greeted by the young man. 'Sit down, would you like a drink?'

'Oh, I'm quite alright thankyou, sir,' but he obeyed and sat himself in the other chair. For a few moments he only stared into the open flames which roared in the hearth. After seconds of silence save for the soft buzzing of the television screen in the background, Makoto opened his mouth to say something, but his father cut across him.

'Kai, Makoto's volunteered to venture out and search for Gou. He knows the routes and battlefields like the back of his hand, he claims. Being my son, he won't listen to a word I say and wants to do the right thing'. Tyson couldn't help but sound proud at his boy's determination.

Kai was rather incredulous, though it barely showed in his worn, tired face. 'You'd risk your life to find my son?'

Makoto nodded 'With your permission, sir'. Kai swallowed and rose slowly to his feet. Of course he wanted his son to be found, ever since the day he'd realised Gou wouldn't be coming back this time he'd waited to hear anything from the news. _Anything_. But not a thing was heard; battles were fought and lost and the HA were surviving but being defeated, but no mention of a boy being found amongst them. He didn't know what to say to Makoto; how could he live with himself knowing he'd risked somebody else's life? While in the midst of a war, sometimes it was easy to forget the value of a life, but the life of his best friend's son was too valuable to lose. All of a sudden, Kai was unsure what to do.

'Go home, you two,' he said softly, 'I appreciate everything the two of you have offered me, but now I need to be left alone to think.'

Tyson nodded and smiled 'I've known you long enough to understand when to leave you to your thoughts. Come on 'Ko, let's try to get back before the dark hours.' He clapped his son on the shoulder, who stood and followed Tyson out the door, closing it softly behind them and momentarily leaving Kai in a slight state of hope.

It was ordained; it was fate. Only a mere few minutes after their departure the voices on the screen began to buzz with shrill alarm at sudden breaking news, but Kai's attention was drawn by the ringing of the telephone. Staggering across the room with his breath held, he cleared his throat before answering though his voice still sounded raucous. 'Yes?'

'President Hiwatari, this is Dr. Acworth speaking,' came the strained reply. Reluctantly, the scientist pressed on. 'We have heard news of young Gou, from the battlefields…' there was a pause which seemed to last a lifetime, before the inexorable news was broken to the company's tired president. 'He is dead, sir'.

Kai didn't even give a response before hanging up the phone and gently replacing it on the desk. His hope had been shot down faster than a speeding bullet could have managed. So exhausted now he suddenly felt as though he would crumble beneath his own weight, he dropped back into the sofa as though hoping he'd just keep sinking into oblivion. Not long ago he had begged for any form of news, be it grave or otherwise, but now he wished he could carry on without knowing. He didn't think he'd ever want to move again knowing he could no longer even rely on diminutive hope.

The reporter on the television caught his attention, and the viewers of the news were suddenly supplied with battlefield images. 'Our news cameras implanted into selected HA combatants are providing us with these so we are able to witness one of the greatest massacres since the humanoids were unleashed seven weeks ago. We have received word of retreat on our side after the great attack by the great red phoenix, sacred spirit of the fire element, left much of humanoid sector's 4 and 5 immobile'.

'No!' Kai had lurched forward, putting most of the joints of his body into shock, at the words the reporter was saying. He almost didn't believe it possible. Surely, it couldn't be…? Of all the cruel and needless irony, this was pushing him over the edge without warning.

But there was no denying it, and much to Kai's horror he saw flashed before his eyes the familiar flames he knew from a long time ago. Every photograph was ablaze and beyond the red glare of the inferno and the littered heaps of immobilized beings there was little to see. Nothing could be seen of _it_, but Kai had no doubt in his worn-out mind. The reporter was still speaking as the horrific images flashed over the screen, 'We are receiving word that help is being sent to attempt to revive what remains of the HA sectors. However, it is beginning to look as though science and technology will need to create many more humanoids if the HA ever has a hope of claiming vic-' and before Kai had a chance to properly process anything, the hours of darkness had begun.

He was shaking now, and violently. Something within had triggered an alarming rage which had risen from the exhaustion as though it had been dormant for ages. Striding as though he could see clear as day, he threw the desk drawer open and pulled something out. A small piece of cold, dust-ridden plastic. A toy he once treasured like he was a guardian to it. In reality his own guardian had turned on him, and the boy he was a guardian to was now lying dead with fatal burns.

Dead. Gou was dead, wasn't he. Kai found he almost couldn't grasp the concept properly. The word repeated itself in his brain, told to him in the repulsive voice of his employee. Smouldering his mind and slowly melting it away.

Kai flew towards the large window and pulled it open vehemently. Without so much as a glace at it, he threw the toy over the ledge with all the force he could gather. He didn't know when the rain had started, but it flew towards him like a torrent and slashed at him like a thousand tiny daggers.

'You betrayed me!' he bellowed into the night. If their bond had ever been what he thought, he would be heard. The sacred spirit would know his anger, would know the betrayal it had committed. It didn't matter to Kai whether or not it would make a difference. This war was more real now than it ever had been before.

'You killed Gou, you killed my son!' he yelled softer this time; his throat suddenly closing up against his will, causing him to choke a little. The tears pricked at the back of his eyes, not for every man who had lost a boy to war, not to the widows of good men who had died fighting, but for himself and his own loss. The son he had sworn to give a better upbringing than the one he'd had.

Yet the last words he'd said to him were not 'I love you'. He hadn't told Gou once that he was more important to Kai than any business matter. The scary thing was perhaps Kai hadn't even realised that himself until that moment. His one chance to prove he was not his grandfather, and he had failed at that seemingly simple task.

Still staring out into nothing but ebony, the tears blended with the slashing rain and he made no effort to close the window. He still gritted his teeth and his breath was still heavy for a few moments, and then as quickly as it had begun it was over in a vast decrease in energy. Barely able to keep himself from falling, Kai used his weight to push the window closed and staggered from the room. Far too weak to climb the stairs, for a moment he considered another option as he stopped short outside his son's bedroom. His hand went for the door knob and a wave of static shot through him. Nothing could bring him to open that door, to enter that room. He didn't think he could ever enter into the room again.

His eyelids became heavy and his knees buckled beneath him. Kai Hiwatari had never felt so old before that night, where he stumbled and collapsed outside his son's bedroom door, forced into undisturbed sleep for the first time in months.

* * *

(A/N): And that's all she wrote, folks…for now anyway. Poor Kai :(

Yeah, this chapter focussed more on the family side of it, the drama between Kai and Gou and their totally failed relationship. I guess Kai's not a very good parent, and a child who behaves the way Gou does would be very difficult to raise anyway. But Kai loved him really, he's just…Kai.

And yes, the battle which wiped out Gou and Hotaru's sector of the HA involved none other than Dranzer. That must cut real deep for poor Kai :(…I'm talking about it like I didn't just write it myself :P

Is this really the end of the two-shot, you ask, where on earth is this story going if anywhere at all? Well, to answer those potential questions, yes this two-shot is complete. It won't become a three-shot or anything. But no, I have no idea where this story is going. I wasn't sure whether or not to say anything, but I have another one-shot planned which will continue this. I don't know if it will stay as a one-shot or turn into something more though. I can't write this as a whole story because it has no beginning or end. So, for now, who knows. Also, I'm not sure when the one-shot will be up because my next goal is to write and upload three more chapters of _Do Svidanya_ before mid-july.

Thanks to all who read this, and please don't forget to review!


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